Standard clamps for securing tubes, pipes, or other elongated structures are conventionally formed in two halves with an attachment for connecting the clamp to a support channel or stud, which is used to support the entire tube/clamp arrangement. The bottom of the clamp structure is connected to a support channel or stud in a variety of conventional manners. The top ends of the clamp are arranged to be attached to each other, and are conventionally held together using a screw/nut connection. One example of a typical arrangement is found in Appendix I, attached hereto, and incorporated herein by reference as a typical example of the conventional art.
A wide variety of arrangements for connecting the clamps to mounting supports or studs is known in the conventional art. Examples are found in the following U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,590; No. 4,714,218; No. 5,133,523; No. 6,511,028; No. 5,624,217; and No. 5,251,857, all incorporated herein by reference. Among these designs, are those in which a plate is used to interact with a channel-like support to hold the clamp (arranged around the tube or pipe) to the support channel. Such channels are like those manufactured and sold by Unistrut, an example of which is included in Appendix I.
Of particular interest to the present invention is the use of a cushion between the metal clamp structure and the pipe or tube-like structure to be held. Conventional examples of cushions are also found in Appendix I, and are incorporated herein by reference to facilitate understanding of the conventional art. The cushion is very important for achieving a tight fit without damaging either the tube or the clamp.
Generally the cushion is constituted by any elastomeric material. Examples are neoprene, polypropylene, silicon rubber and Styrofoam®. However, a wide variety of cushion materials have been used throughout the development of the conventional art. These include wood products, cloth products, and relatively soft metals. The selection of the cushion material very often depends upon the pipe or tubing material to be clamped, and the environment in which it is to be placed. The limitation of vibration, the size of the tube, and the required tightness of fit constitute major factors at work in the selection of both clamping and cushioning materials.
In many situations, the cushion must be made of a relatively dense and thus, relatively inelastic material. Such material is often very difficult to manipulate, especially when sized for smaller diameter tubes. Consequently, a large amount of force must be exerted to open such cushions and allow them to be arranged and fitted around the tube. If the cushion is sufficiently small and dense, manipulation becomes problematic. This makes installation far more difficult and time-consuming. Further, since cushions must be placed along the tube at multiple locations, the installation process becomes even more difficult. One example of such an arrangement is found is U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,296, incorporated herein by reference.
One method of making a hard plastic cushion easier to manipulate for installation purposes is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,148, to Sherman, incorporated herein by reference. In order for the hard plastic cushion to be manipulated to fit around the tube during installation, a deep notch or groove is formed opposite the split between the two arms of the cushion. This groove permits the entire structure to flex so that the two arms can open up to the extent necessary to receive the tube. Then, a metal clamp is placed around the cushion in the conventional manner.
Unfortunately, the cushion is often weakened at the cut notch or groove by loss of material and/or the compromise of the material made by cutting. Depending upon the size of the cushion and the notch, the necessary manipulation of the two arms might be sufficiently violent so that the entire cushion structure is fractured or further degraded at the notch, and comes apart. Because, manipulation of the entire cushion is necessary in this particular configuration, more force is required to place the cushion around a pipe. Very often, this can be very awkward, thereby making the entire installation process more difficult and time-consuming, especially for small tubes.
There are a number of other arrangements also relying upon a deep notch or groove opposite the split between the cushion arms. These are found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,148; No. 5,013,166; and No. 4,728,071, all incorporated herein by reference. All share the aforementioned liabilities, attempting to balance ease of manipulation and maintenance of material integrity.
Other arrangements, such as that in U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,855, maintain a second permanent split between halves of the cushion. These can be easier to install, but might ultimately provide a less stable holding arrangement.
In the conventional arrangements depicted in Appendix I, the clamp holds the cushion within it, and is attached separately to the support channel. The cushion is held to the support channel only by means of the clamp. The cushion in turn merely surrounds the pipe or tube. Generally, the cushion is fit around the tube first. Then, the clamp has to be fit around the cushion and is attached to the support channel at the same time so that the entire arrangement is supported by the channel. The nature of the clamp is such that it does not effectively hold either the cushion or attach well to the channel until it is thoroughly tightened in its final position. This often leads to awkward, time-consuming installations, and has prompted a number of adaptations to provide solutions.
One such adaptation includes the use of a combination clamp and cushion as a single structure. U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,855, incorporated herein by reference, is an example of one such arrangement. Because the number of parts is reduced, installation is simplified. However, there are certain drawbacks with this particular design. For example, a snap-on lock is necessary rather than the more robust screwed/nut arrangement. Further, because only a single material is used, a wide range of either cushion materials or clamp materials is not available. In some situations, this is not a drawback. However, in other situations, this requirement imposes severe limitations. There may be a severe conflict between the strength and rigidity needed for the clamp material and the necessity of the vibration absorption provided by a softer cushion material.
The conventional art of pipe mounting clamps and cushions admits to a need for simplified installation while maintaining the benefits of a full range of materials for both clamps and cushions. Preferably, such an arrangement would include a pipe or tube clamp and that could hold a wide range of pipe sizes dedicated to virtually any application, under most conceivable circumstances. The arrangement would also permit a wide range of cushion materials so that a desired level of vibration control could be maintained. A simple, quick manipulation process would be sufficient for installation using the proposed system, and the cushion material would not be compromised.